By Kela Norman
Designer / Stylist
One of my favorite designers at Fashion Week New Orleans 2013, was Kallen Forster. Her play with texture, print, and solids coordinated into a very chic yet eccentric look. The make-up of the models was tribal and exotic.
Kalli Forster, a 29 year old Fashion Designer from New Orleans concentrates on Apparel Design. Kalli is a design assistant to Suzanne Perron. She specializes in pattern work, beading, lace mending/applique, Silk Chiffon and fine fabric garment construction for Mardi Gras Queen, Deubutant, and Bridal Gowns.
Kalli founded a program called theDesignLab in the beginning of 2013 as a vital and necessary inspiration to drive change and opportunity for local women in low income communities to be able to enhance the quality of life for themselves and their families. The spirit and vibrancy of New Orleans is in our communities and starts with the great people who shape them. theDesignLab employs and empowers local women through education and opportunity to have a career path through fashion and become a beacon of growth and change in for themselves, their families, and their communities.
In December 2012 Kalli received her Master's of Apparel Design at Louisiana State University under Dr. Jenna Kuttruff. At LSU, Forster researched international womens' cooperatives that employed the same strategies of theDesignLab toward training, empowering and employing local women in various design techniques to provide sustainable and healthy lifestyles. In addition to socially responsible design methods, she also was moved toward the preservation of historic textiles through modern design applications.
Forster has 5 years of managerial retail merchandising experience on both the corporate and local level, and most recently has worked under renowned New Orleans based couture designer, Suzanne Perron.
Kela: What inspires your designs?
Kallen: Finding a balance between, edge and classic sophistication, and juxtaposing flow with structure; finding ways to create and incorporate complex textiles (historic or otherwise inspired) and incorporating them into a modern wardrobe that doesn’t seem forced. Making pieces that are truly versatile and transitional, from season to season, day to night, whatever the event may be; truly versatile pieces are essential in my wardrobe and what I look for in designs.
Kela: Do you have a muse?
Kallen: My muse is my customer…I’m creating for someone strong and sophisticated, yet fun, flirty, and willing to take a risk…not afraid to test the borders of androgyny and silhouettes that play with that border of femininity and masculinity…big crush on Rachel Bilson
Kela: What motivated you to found the Design Lab?
Kallen: Originally I was managing a local small business, Oliveaux, owned by Beth James, who founded Soap Box Moms, which was program for single mothers to earn a living from home making soap that we sold in store and wholesale. After that, I moved into corporate merchandising, and I realized that while I loved highlighting and placing product, my real passion was for the product itself, and the design behind it. Once I decided to go back for my masters in apparel design, I combined my previous work experience when I began working on my thesis research under Dr Jenna Kuttruff at LSU in Baton Rouge. I was researching socially responsible design methods, and came across these amazing international women’s cooperatives that were training, empowering, and employing women in their villages through design techniques. I knew I wanted to support and incorporate these women into my thesis, so I started learning to design textiles in their traditional methods that they could create and I could include in my collection. Working with local couture designer, Suzanne Perron, I learned a lot about creating beading patterns, which was extremely useful when working with a Kenyan Organization, Toto Knits; they constructed all the beaded designs seen in my collection off of my pattern and silhouette specifications. I also recently started creating knit pattern designs and silhouettes that were constructed using hand-knit and machine-knit techniques by women’s’ organizations in Kenya and Bolivia that follow the same principles as theDesignLab. After researching these international women’s organizations, I realized we have the same demographic of women in need here in New Orleans, which is why I started theDesignLab, to train, empower, and employ local women in design techniques that will allow them to create a sustainable, healthy lifestyle for themselves and their families.
Kela: Is there any designer dead or alive that influences your work?
Kallen: Suzanne Perron greatly influences all aspects of my work, from my technical execution, which includes hand and appliquéd lace and beaded designs, draping and Patten work, and overall business sense. Balmain, specifically the Spring 2012 beading was a huge inspiration during my thesis collection inception. Frank Gehry is an inspiration in his methodologies as a designer – he really pushes the boundaries of architectural design, and I admire his courage and creativity.
Kela: How do you stay balanced with a busy work schedule and your personal schedule?
Kallen: Having an amazing husband is a requirement…just kidding, but he is my support system in every sense and I’d be lost without him…runway shows swallow me up whole, and I contemplated not competing in Fashion Week New Orleans this past weekend due to a huge loss in our family very recently. He insisted that I move forward with showing, and I am so thankful that he was able to still push and support me through such a hard time in our lives; it really shows that if you push through obstacles and adversity, whatever they may be, hard work will pay off, and I believe the true benefits of this show are yet to be seen, which is exciting. Especially bringing on our first recruit at theDesignLab in the midst of all of this – hectic is a good word for it, but challenges can only make you stronger.
Kela: How did it feel to present your designs in Fashion Week New Orleans 2013?
Kallen: Such a great opportunity for exposure in front of my target market! It was a huge push to launch theDesignLab and get the collection into stores. It was so amazing/flattering/shocking to get feedback and interest from actual buyers and industry representatives during and after the event, and it really just gave me more incentive and realization that theDesignLab can be a successful organization in New Orleans and beyond. I’m so thankful that Tracee and Mallory gave me the opportunity to show!
Kela: Do you follow trends?
Kallen: I love style.com – the iphone/ipad app is almost dangerous…I also try to follow modern and historic art & architecture; historic textiles are a huge influence on creating different designs for prints and textiles.
Kela: What advice would you give to Kallen Forster from 5 years ago?
Kallen: How bout 10 years ago?!? Just kidding, but I am so jealous of those kids who are fresh out of high school and know what direction they want to go in for undergrad (that was definitely not me 10 years ago)…I was so focused on soccer, I had no clue what career I was going to go into, soccer was my career! Anyway, it wasn’t until after graduating from college and gaining work experience that I really figured out what I wanted to do…so I would DEFINITELY tell myself to go back to school…or start out in undergrad in the right field! Anyway, I wouldn’t change my work experience that I gained fresh out of college because it really shaped and influenced why I went back to school for my Masters in Apparel Design; I just wish I could’ve had a little more of a head start in the design field! I always had an interest in design, I designed my junior and senior prom dresses, I just never thought there was a career in design out there for me until recently!
Kela: What do you think the world would be like without the fashion industry?
Kallen: SO boring…and fashion is about so much more than clothing…Chanel said it best - “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” It really indicates a feeling, and a time period, and way to express yourself without words; regardless of what expression you’re feeling that day. To theDesignLab and many others, it’s a livelihood and a historic art form that is embedded in culture; some of the textiles used in theDesignLab collection are from Nilda Alvarez, founder of the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco, who stated that “Here in Peru weaving is an art that we live everyday and for us it is more than art – it is a historical part of the living culture. We are fortunate that many of our practices are still alive and can be continued. But they are changing fast and are in danger of being lost.” I love being able to embrace fashion as a historic art and culture, and translating their beautiful stories it into modern designs that can be appreciated and kept alive. We’re lucky to see fashion as an expression of feeling and culture in the streets of New Orleans everyday; I can’t imagine a Super Sunday in New Orleans without fashion!
Kela: What are 3 things you want to accomplish as a designer?
Kallen: Expanding women’s opportunities in design in New Orleans (and globally) and enabling them (and globally) to create sustainable lifestyles for themselves through those opportunities.
Benefiting and growing the New Orleans garment industry – we have such an opportunity to grow this industry in New Orleans – the groundwork has been laid by amazing designers such as Lisa Lacono and Suzanne Perron, and there’s no reason we can’t expand this growing industry, but it takes educational access and community buy in, and we all know New Orleanians have each others backs; I think it’s about awareness, as consumers we’re so conscious of what we’re putting IN our bodies these days (organic and local produce etc), but what about what we’re putting ON our bodies, from the materials used to the people that are producing them and the values and organizations we’re supporting through each purchase…I’m not saying fill your closet with only local designers, but looking at labels and organizations, H&M just came out with an affordable, eco-friendly line; being proud of what you’re wearing, not only just because it looks good, it makes you feel good because there’s bigger purpose behind your clothing.
Making a name for upholding quality and fashionable standards while maintaining socially responsible ideals – helping create socially responsible consumers that look and feel good about what they’re wearing – quality product is an important standard we uphold at theDesignLab.
For more information about Forster, visit
kallenforster.com.
http://www.thedesignlabnola.com
( in the photo Kallen is in the center of her models )